This page features journal and website reviews (or excerpts from reviews) for some of my single and co-authored publications.
Mark Rooney (Monash University, in Modern English Teacher, MAY/JUNE 2022):
“It will help teachers develop the skills needed to understand and teach an evolving language field. Most importantly, it should go some way to helping language learners have a more realistic understanding of how authentic conversations take place and how they can have a place in them."
Dr Katherine Quigley (School of Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, Victoria University of Wellington, in the TESOLANZ Newsletter, WINTER 2020):
“Overall I found this a highly interesting course which opened my eyes to many lexico-grammatical points I hadn't thought about before. In my opinion, taking this course would benefit all teachers of ESOL at Intermediate level and above, enriching their teaching of both grammar and speaking."
Pete Clements (ELT Planning.com, July 2019):
“Other things I like about the course: Everything! I think this course is essential for anyone taking, or thinking of taking, a DipTESOL. It is a great way to enhance your subject knowledge and offers some nice practical ideas to integrate the teaching of spoken grammar into your lessons." Rating: 5/5.
Hilary Livingston (IATEFL Voices, July/August 2019):
“I was truly impressed by the author's knowledge of the subject matter and his clear explanations in the videos. ... I think the information in this course would be great for providing teachers with the 'meat' to design a conversational speaking course that would be both practical and engaging for higher-level students."
Wayne Trotman (EL Gazette, January/February 2019):
“This guide would be useful on the electronic devices of all language teachers I know, and at any stage of their career, who have a distinct interest in teaching English as it is really spoken."
Teacher reviews on the Udemy website:
‘It was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!’ (H.O.) ‘Absolutely love the material. Very useful for teachers. Generous amount of material given for use in the classroom. Thank you!’ (A.S.) ‘A very well organised course with the type of information I've been looking for. I'm able to visualise using it with course groups and I appreciate the resources. Thank you very much.’ (M.B.) ‘The course is just great and practical . The simplicity and style of explanations are great, both for student and teacher’ (L.B.) ‘I'm enjoying this course very much. I'm learning a lot myself and am excited to share this knowledge with learners.’ (D.C.)
Sandee Thompson (Coordinator EFL, College of the North Atlantic - Qatar) in IATEFL Voices, March/April 2021:
“(Ken Paterson) speaks slowly and succinctly, and as each lecture follows the same pattern, it is easy to follow. Auditory learners will no doubt appreciate the fact that the lecture is accompanied by the text in print. Text-based learners, meanwhile, will also appreciate the element of continuity in terms of how the lessons are produced, including the notes and tips for teachers."
Meredith MacAulay (English Australia Journal, Volume 29, No 2):
“Oxford Grammar for EAP’ is a useful grammar resource and is certainly more appropriate for EAP than any ‘grammar-specific’ title that I have come across thus far. There is something here for learners of all fields and there’s a wealth of appropriate models of academic language. Though some of the chapters should be worked through selectively, most of them provide useful and more extensive practice than in many other resources. ‘Oxford Grammar for EAP’ would be a welcome and unique addition to self-access centres for Academic English students."
Mary Jane Hogan (English Australia Journal, Volume 29, No. 1):
‘Improve Your Grammar' is a straightforward, jargon-free, easy-to-use book, written by people who have clearly spent many years noting the main problems that writers have, and who have produced a focused, well-presented book designed to solve those problems.’
Christine Daly (Education and Training, Volume 55, issue 7):
‘This book is an extremely welcome addition to the Palgrave Study Skills series. The coverage is comprehensive, but it is presented in a straightforward and clearly accessible way. Not a centimetre of space in the 150 pages is wasted and the authors have packed in lots of instructive, informative but also interesting content.’
Martin Coyle (Cardiff University):
It is very clear and well considered. This is certainly a book one could use with students, partly because it's not cluttered with too many examples and exceptions but concentrates on the core and then reinforces things with its exercises. These are very helpful, as are the answers.'
Jeanne Godfrey (University of Leeds):
‘This book can be used equally well as a ‘go to’ grammar guide, a self-designed course of language development, and a tool for understanding and making the most of tutor feedback.’
Jennifer Boyle (University of Glasgow):
‘Improve Your Grammar’ is a clear and comprehensive guide that will be of great use to students at all levels of study.’
Alistair Dickinson (developingteachers.com):
‘In summary, a very useful addition to our bookshelves, another step towards helping our students develop natural English. Recommend it to them.’
Business Spotlight, March 2012:
‘Spoken English has its own grammar, which is not normally discussed in traditional teaching materials. Here’s a chance to learn more about it. This coursebook is clearly structured: a double page with explanations and examples is followed by another double page with a variety of exercises.’
Carmela Chateau (tefl.net), April 2012:
‘This is a very innovative book, and may well start a new trend. My own particular favourite is Unit 12: “How to use Oh, Ah, Wow, Ouch, etc.” I love it when my students feel confident enough to improvise and let their hair down, and interjections do make oral interaction sound much more lifelike.’
Wayne Trotman (EL Gazette, September 2012, page 19):
‘Recent titles covering the development of speaking skills tend to focus largely on tasks based on relevant topics for learners to discuss; if we’re fortunate they also contain a bit on phonology. There is, however, far too little emphasis on the well known fact that speech has a grammar all of its own, e.g. ‘My new trainers, I can’t find them anywhere.’ Although we are not informed as to what corpus-based evidence the contents of this superb title are based on, the authors bring to us twenty concise chapters that deal with aspects like the above (‘putting important things at the front’) which enable learners to produce more nuanced, i.e. natural, conversation.’
Caroline Hutchinson (English Australia Journal, Volume 28, No. 1):
‘Based on corpus data, but presented in an attractive and accessible way, A Handbook of Spoken Grammar provides focus and structure that helps teachers and students bridge the gap between data, analysis and spoken use.’
Sab Will (hotchpotchenglish.com):
‘'How to use Oh, Ah, Wow, Ouch, etc.' has to be my favourite chapter in Delta's Handbook of Spoken Grammar. I like the units on things and thingies too though. In fact, there's a lot of refreshing new stuff in this volume you wouldn't normally see in a lot of standard English course books.’
Kirkus Reviews
“… harrowing moments … engrossing tale … Paterson’s exceptional prose turns the seemingly mundane into alluring imagery … A solid blend of genres, though the writing and characters shine brightest.”
Readers' Favorite
“Well written and thought provoking, The Story of the Cloth is comparable to another journey, Rachel Joyce's The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. Both are eloquently told adventures on human life and the journeys we embark on. … The author's ingenious twists and unexpected tangents have the reader sitting on the edge of his/her seat, wondering what to expect next. ... This is a powerful and creative story with a complexity that is both satisfying and engrossing.”
The Booklife Prize, Critic's Report
“Line by line, The Story of the Cloth sparkles. Paterson's prose is scrupulous, elegant, and pleasing, studded with sly turns of phrase and observations worth lingering over.”
